A/N: Here's next chapter. I hope you all like it!

Special thanks to Westie80, TinaraXx, K8e1, jenny crum, Jareau37 and Christiangirl!

I don't own criminal minds!

Chapter 10: Where it all started

The next morning the sunlight lit up the bedroom in rays of sun, hitting JJ's blonde hair and the delicate features of her face. The swelling on her cheek had gone down, but the bruises were worse than the day before. Hotch was the one standing at the end of the bed, blown away by the beauty that lay in the bed. Even after a beating she looked gorgeous and he could do nothing but stare at her. He had slept on the couch for the night, never wanting to leave her side. But now he had to leave to be in time for work. He could either stay or put his job on the line the first day, or he had to leave her behind, not knowing what she would think. But in earlier conversations she had told him, she knew what an important job meant. So she would understand. And with that thought he put on his coat and put the note he had written earlier on her nightstand. He froze when she turned around in the bed, but fortunately she didn't actually wake up. So he straightened his back and walked over to bed. He leaned down and put a kiss on her head, feeling her soft smooth blonde hair against his face. It smelled like coconut and in that moment he never wanted to leave the room. Or her for that matter. Something had happened between them when they first met. Something fell into place and their chemistry was undeniable. Even now he already missed her because he knew he had to leave.

But he did. He walked away from the bed and turned around one more time before he closed the door. He silently walked to the front door and left the apartment to go to work.

JJ sat straight up when she heard the front door close. She was a light sleeper and she heard almost everything that happened around. Her first instinct was to retrieve the gun that was hidden in her closet behind the wall. But as she gazed at her nightstand she quickly realized that it was Hotch who just left the apartment. She took the note and sighed deeply when she read the words he put on the paper.

JJ,

I had to go to work. I am so sorry for that because I didn't want to leave you behind on your own.

I'll be back tonight and hopefully you'll be still at home. I don't want you to do anything today, please. I will make dinner this time.

I look forward to seeing you again.

Love,

Aaron

She let herself fall back on the mattress, her head landing on her pillow as she squealed out in happiness. Something was different about this man and she was over the moon about him. She wanted to know him, and to experience life with him, even though she only knew him for such a short time. Something had changed when she met him. Her life didn't change, but she did. She was no longer the stoic and distant person she was trained to be. She was simply herself. It seemed like she finally met someone who brought out the best in her, and that was something that rarely occurred. She was living a life full of lies after all. She didn't have many chances at love.

After thinking about her so called love life, she stepped from the bed. She put her feet on the ground and rose from the bed. She was surprised that the pain in her back had completely disappeared. She actually didn't feel much pain at all, but she realized that one look in the mirror would confirm the tightness on her cheek. She didn't touch it. Instead, she pulled off all of her clothes and dropped them to the ground. She walked into the bathroom and put on the shower so she could wash the night before away. She never showered after coming home and she was in desperate need of it. JJ was used to action in her life, but she never liked it when someone got killed in the process. She hated it. In her first few months with the agency, she never killed someone. She always managed to get away without it. But a year earlier she was forced to kill someone. She never wanted to do it.

Stop! She whispered to herself, knowing the thought of that particular moment would sent her head spinning. She didn't want to relive it all over again. So she focused on the hot water streaming along her body and for a moment her mind went blank and the ease took over her body.

After being in her apartment for hours, JJ grabbed her purse and went for the door. Sitting around wasn't exactly what she wanted to do. So she walked out of the building and moved towards her car, the wind blowing through her hair as she opened her car. She jumped inside and checked her phone to see another call from Owen. He had been texting and calling her all day, suggesting that he didn't listen to her at all. She wasn't as fragile as he thought she was, but from memory he was always overprotective when it came to her.

2 years earlier…

Security had checked her car and her ID before she ever got onto the compound. Now she was parking her car as the nerves coursed through her body. She wasn't taking any of it lightly. She had chosen this path when she filled out the application, and after extensive tests and background investigations, she was officially welcomed to the farm for training. And today that training was starting. She had high hopes. Her language skills, her athletic abilities and her degrees were everything the agency looked for in their recruits. Fitting the bill was just luck.

She stepped from her car and quickly noticed a man approaching her. She decided to meet him halfway. She stopped in front of him and looked at him intently, just like he looked at her.

''Jennifer Jareau?'' he asked impatiently.

''Yeah,'' she said as she extended her hand but the man turned around and started walking, so she followed him.

''My name is Owen Wells. I will be your personal trainer for the next six months. You'll join the other trainees when I deem necessary.'' he said flatly. ''For now you will train alone.''

JJ didn't expect that. She was supposed to be trained with the other trainees after all. So it sent her head spinning for a moment. ''Why, sir?'' she asked curiously.

''Someone at the agency is very excited to have you in his division so he ordered me to train you.'' Owen went on. ''It's a compliment. So if I were you, I'd do my very best.''

The next few minutes were filled with complete silence as the two of them walked along the compound. They had stepped into a building where the trainees had their individual rooms.

Owen stopped and opened a room and waited until JJ stepped inside. ''This is your room for the next six months. Training starts tomorrow at six am.''

''Okay, sir!'' JJ said and she received a smile in return. Afterwards he closed the door behind him and left JJ alone in the dull room. She looked around and felt the courage disappear. The walls were white, nothing on them. There was only a bed and desk. That was all. The rest of the room was completely empty. So she dropped down on the bed and let herself fall backwards. She was going to spend the next six months there, and she knew it wasn't going to be easy at all. It would be harder than she ever imagined it to be.

JJ's gaze was in front of her as she walked through Langley. She was in need of a desperate escape and it was the perfect place for her to be in that moment. She had a lot going on in her life. A lot more than she was willing to admit because it meant feelings were getting involved. It had always been hard for her to be vulnerable and put her heart on the line. Her past had made scary for her. But now she was dating a man who gave her chills. The real heart stopping chills that she had never felt before. It scared her, but she wasn't about to run away from the one thing that was pushing her into the right direction. So she held her head up and couldn't stop thinking about the next time she would see him. It was already playing through her head all the time.

JJ halted in front of the door to the gym when she heard Collins calling out her name. She turned around to face her boss in anguish. JJ had always respected her boss, but when he put Owen on her assignment, a part of that respect faded. He knew what happened in Paris, and he knew how she felt about it.

''Jareau?'' he asked as he stepped towards his subordinate. ''What are you doing here?''

''I just need to blow off some steam, sir.'' she said, lifting her gym bag into the air. ''And this is the best place to find a suitable partner to blow off steam.''

''Shouldn't you be taking things easy?'' he remarked as he pointed at her bruised cheek. He threw a quick wave at a colleague that passed them by before he returned his attention to her. ''Owen, can keep his eyes open at Chemicaltech for a few weeks if you need the time.''

After that sentence, JJ felt her annoyance rise and definitely not in a good way. ''I am returning to work tomorrow. And I am fine.'' she shot back. ''I've seen worse and I'm not comfortable with Owen doing this on his own. We both know what he's capable off, with or without your support.'' she added before she opened the door to the dressing rooms. She threw the door shut behind her.

She walked towards the bench and put her bag down and opened it in a hurry. Being in the gym had always been one of the best distractions for her. She loved to forget her about her life and put all her energy in sparring. She quickly changed into her shorts and top before she walked into the gym, which was notably empty. Her mood fell and she decided to just do it on her own. So she walked towards the punching bag and started working out, letting her thoughts and worries disappear for the next hour.